10 Things to Look For In a Good Piercer
The piercing industry is booming! More and more people are joining the industry everyday - especially in areas like Utah that are - for the most part - unregulated.
Utah is very relaxed when it comes to body art (piercings, tattoos, permanent makeup, body modification). The minimum requirements for someone to be a piercer is to have a studio space that meets the health department’s standards (including an inspection and license upon passing the inspection), and a 1 hour blood borne pathogen course online. Outside of body art compliance they should also comply with all local regulation of owning and running a business. That may seem like a lot, but the standards are fairly basic to be honest.
As far as the actual art of piercing though, there are no official standards in Utah County, Salt Lake County, many other counties in Utah, and throughout the United States. Piercing is an art, and it’s hard to regulate an art, that’s why the health department does their best to regulate the environment, tools, sanitation, and sterilization. So at least that part is by the book and safe. That’s why it’s up to us as piercers to provide high quality work, and always strive to improve for the sake of our clients.
I’ve complied a list of the 10 things I think are the most important qualities in a good and responsible piercer to help you find the right one for you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! A good piercer will be happy and willing to answer.
Sterilization - Piercers are required by law (in Utah at least) to use new and sterilized jewelry, reusable sterile tools (with a proper contamination room that has been inspected and licensed), or disposable sterile tools. Sterilization requires a medical grade autoclave. They are not cheap. I’ve seen many piercers skimp on this, likely because of the cost. But it is priority number one to prevent infection and the spread of blood borne pathogens, especially in a studio that reuses tools. A heat box for estheticians, Barbicide, alcohol, or similar, cannot sterilize properly - and is not a legal replacement in Utah. Autoclaves must be third party spore tested at least monthly. Those tests should be able to be viewed upon request.
Portfolio - You should be able to look through your piercer’s portfolio to see their work. If you choose to go to someone during an apprenticeship and assume that risk, they may not have one yet. Otherwise look at pictures to see if they look good. You may not have an eye for what quality piercings look like, but there are some obvious red flags. Are the piercings straight? Does the jewelry seem to fit right? Does the environment around the piercing look clean? A piercer doesn’t have to be perfect - we all start somewhere - but there is a bare minimum standard, and a lot of people don’t meet that. Piercers that do not post their work, use stock photos, use other people’s photos and claim them as their own should be avoided.
Follow Through - Pierceing is not and should not be a one and done industry. The piercing itself may take 10 minutes to complete, but then there is another 3-24 months of healing time. Your piercer should be reasonably accessible to you during this time. (within the proper boundaries they’ve set for their business) Most piercings require downsizing, and piercings go through ups and downs that may need troubleshooting at times. If your piercer does not offer this education to you and enable you to follow up. They are not completing their job.
Quality Jewelry - Body Jewelry is an extremely important part of the healing process. There are some metals and types of jewelry that are never appropriate for new piercings. Please look for studios that use APP Verified brands for titanium jewelry. Surgical Steel is not bio compatible with the body, and contains nickel - because of this I do not recommend using it just because you never know who will have a reaction. It’s best to stick with what has been proven to work well - Titanium. Another great metal for new piercings is solid 14k or 18k yellow gold, often with titanium posts, bars, and curves. Do not go to a shop that uses sterling silver, acrylic, plastic, etc. These are all low quality options. All jewelry should be internally threaded or treadless - NOT externally threaded. There are no high quality companies that make externally threaded or plated jewelry. Plated jewelry is lower quality, it can be used in healed piercings, but is not safe for new piercings.
Sanitation - With things that cannot be sterilized between each guest (furniture, trays, counters - not tools), they should be sanitized with a medical grade disinfectant. Examples are Cavicide wipes or spray, Sani wipes or spray, a bleach mixture, and other similar options. In order to properly sanitize items between guests everything in the room must be made of non porous materials. That means no fabric, furniture, rugs, curtains, pillows, towels, sheets, etc. They cannot be cleaned properly, so they are not appropriate for an environment that could be contaminated with bodily fluids. All sharps should immediately go into a puncture proof sharps container after use. All contaminated tools that need to be processed should go into a contamination bin with a locking lid with an enzyme solution until they can be processed.
Client Comfort & Respect - Your piercer should be kind, respectful, patient, and comforting. They should never shame you for going someone else, getting pierced with a piercing gun, piercing yourself, etc. Although we may advise otherwise - it’s your body - do what you want. As professionals it is our job to steer you in the right direction, but what you choose to do with your body is your choice. Your piercer shouldn’t shame you for your budget, big or small. Every person that comes in should feel comfortable within their budget. That’s not to say that quality work and jewelry are cheap - but hopefully your piercer can meet your needs within the services and jewelry they carry without judgement. Your piercer should never ask you to remove clothing that is not required for the piercing. Your piercer should never ask you to send pictures of intimate piercings, even for a check up, all anatomy checks of intimate areas should be done in person, privately, in an appropriate setting. It should go without saying, but an appointment should never be sexualized.
Willing to Learn - Your piercer should always be learning! We have conferences and access to education all the time! There are so many methods that are outdated now and no longer considered safe practice. Your piercer should be willing to step out of their comfort zone and learn new things - especially if it keeps the client safe and makes their healing better!
Jewelry Selection - I don’t believe that a bigger selection of jewelry means someone is a better piercer, however I do think there needs to be a selection in general. If you walk into a shop and they have only an externally threaded, surgical steel or titanium, ball or gem as the only options - you can probably also assume that piercing is an afterthought as far as the services they offer. Offering a decent selection of jewelry is important because we need you to keep your jewelry in for upwards of a year without removing it. If a piercer puts a low quality silver ball in your ear, you are very likely to want to remove that asap if it’s not your style (I have clients pick a silver ball maybe once every 6 months). Another concern is that if they lack a selection at all, they may also lack a selection of appropriate sizes and styles needed for a piercing to heal properly. I want to reiterate that I don’t think someone is a better piercer because they have tens of thousands of options on display, and by no means do they need to carry gold, but I do think basic high quality jewelry options should be important to a studio. I don’t think someone should get a free low quality ball and then sent on their way to fail through the healing process because of it.
Being a good human - This doesn’t really have to do with the piercings themselves. You can be an amazing piercer and an awful human - but it’s not that hard to be a good one. Choose a piercer that is kind, compassionate, respectful, tactful, patient, and will listen. Getting pierced is a sacred experience (in my opinion) and you deserve to be treated kindly during your experience that you are having (and paying for!)
Willing to admit their mistakes - This is hard for anyone, but if a piercer makes a mistake they need to correct it - preferably right then! We are human too, it happens sometimes! We are using a needle to pierce through flesh - flesh that is different from person to person in so many ways. We can do our very best, but sometimes the angle is a little off, the post size we picked was a little tight or too big, the anatomy isn’t working the out the way we expected it to. That’s ok! It breaks my heart and soul a little every time I have to inform a client a piercing isn’t the way I think it needs to be - but I do it - and I thank every one of my clients that have been there for it for understanding and seeing me as a human being.
With all this being said, I want to quickly run through these 10 points again and add a few things about me that pertain to them.
Legality of my studio - My studio has been inspected and licensed with the Utah County Health Department. I have done 5 hours (only 1 is required) of blood borne pathogen training every year since I opened. In 2021 and 2022 we had to register as artists with the health department, but they are no longer doing that as of 2023 and 2024. I have my business license in Orem, Utah, I have my sales tax license with the state of Utah. I am a legally registered entity with the state of Utah.
Sterilization - I use an Enbio S steam/heat autoclave. It has an unpackaged sterilization time of 7 minutes. This allows me to sterilize your jewelry at the appointment. When I sterilize in sterilization envelopes for back-stock, I sterilize on a 45 minute cycle to ensure thorough sterilization for safe storage. I do third party spore testing at least monthly (usually more) through Woodhouse Laboratories. You are welcome to look at my test results at any time .
Portfolio - The best way to look through my portfolio is on Instagram. I try to post as much as possible, with a wide variety of piercing placements and jewelry types.
Follow Through - I am available by phone, email, or Instagram DM. I almost always answer within the hour. I will sometimes answer my Instagram DMs past 8 PM, but I will never answer texts or calls past 8 PM on my personal phone. This is a boundary I’ve set for my business. If you think you are truly have a piercing emergency that can’t wait until the morning, you may need medical help that is beyond my scope.
Quality Jewelry - All of my initial piercing posts, bars, curves, circulars, hoops, etc are made from APP verified brands. They don’t currently have a gold verification program yet, but it is in the works. None of my jewelry contains nickel, it is all internally threaded or threadless, and I carry a wide variety of sizes to make sure I can accommodate all anatomy sizes and types.
Sanitation - I use Cavicide disinfectant in my studio. I do not have anything in my studio that is porous and that cannot be disinfected properly. My studio has been reviewed and approved by the Association of Professional Piercers in order to allow my membership.
Client Comfort and Respect - My clients are my people. I will never ever intentionally do anything to make someone uncomfortable. My room is bright, clean, and cozy. I do my best to create an environment that reflects my style and personality, while still being safe. I will never ask clients to remove any cloths that are not absolutely required for a piercing. I will never ask for intimate pictures even if it’s relevant to the conversation I have a fogged out door, and privacy blinds to ensure privacy during intimate piercings or any piercing if preferred. I am by appointment only to ensure your appointment is just for you. I don’t care what your budget is, I just want you to pick jewelry that makes you and your wallet happy. I do not ask clients to lay down for piercings unless it is necessary for the safety of the client - I find this position to be intimidating. For safety I ask clients to lay down during nipple and navel piercings only.
Willing to Learn - I am always learning. I absolutely love knowing everything I possibly can about this profession. I attended the APP Conference in 2023 for the first time, and am also going in 2024. I am currently enrolled in the APP Core Essentials classes Volume 3. I subscribe to a few reputable long time piercer’s patreon channels. I regularly invite clients in for discounted or free work in order to perfect my craft. I have a very large piercing community that I learn from regularly.
Jewelry Selection - I offer a small-medium amount of options from several brands. I carry approximately 300-400 different titanium options 300 gold options. All of my jewelry is charged separate from the piercing fee so that you can get the piece you want in the budge range that is comfortable for you. My jewelry options start at $30 each.
Being a Good Human - I try my very best. I love all my clients, you are all friends! I want what is best for you just like if it were myself or a family member. I love getting to know all of you, hearing about your lives, loved ones, jobs, problems - all of it!
Willing to admit their mistakes - It make me want to quit and disappear every time I mess up. But I have the best and most understanding clients that know I’m human. Thanks for allowing me to make mistakes sometimes. It happens less and less all the time, but will never be zero.
Well that’s all. Find a piercer that cares about you, their work, the jewelry, your safety, and keeping up to date with the legalities of their business. There are so many wonderful piercers out there - it’s worth finding one that’s a good fit for you!
